Over its long course serving us as the overlord of the Internet, Google has had some good ideas and some bad ideas. I remember first hearing of Google. I was a loyal Yahoo! search engine user, even past the time when Google was considered to be top dog. But eventually I had to cave in and switch. It’s the same with browsers – I was a Firefox fanatic up until six months ago, when I made the switch to Google Chrome. It’s just better. That’s as plainly as I can put it.

However, Google has pushed out some pretty interesting and obscure projects on the side. Google PowerMeter, for example, was a way to keep tabs on how much energy you’re using in your home from a web interface. Never heard of it? You’re probably part of the great majority. I know there are some that you do remember and have been missing, though. Let’s revisit a few.

Though it was never as well-known as some of the alternatives, Google Answers was an online knowledgebase. The difference between Google Answers and its competitors was that it required users to actually post paid bounties for very detailed and researched answers. In the age of the wiki, you don’t need this. The Internet has everything. Though Google Answers hasn’t disappeared into a cloud of dust, it is no longer accepting questions.

This is probably the first thing that comes to mind. It’s a free service that provides similar functionality. The answers submitted here are community-submitted, based on votes, and are sometimes very unreliable.

Quora is probably the best resource on the Internet for this purpose. It came around in 2010 and has grown huge since then. On Quora, users can collaborate to answer questions by editing the questions themselves and even suggesting edits to users’ answers. It’s a very open format and the Quora community is filled with helpful people.

As the name makes pretty clear, Google Desktop was essentially Google for your desktop. Using this application, you’d be able to add widgets to your Windows, Mac, or Linux desktop that would allow you to search through all files, emails, web history, and more. While there are a handful of options that could replace the functionality of Google Desktop, two stand out.

If you’re a Windows user, Windows Search6 Awesome Alternatives to Windows Search6 Awesome Alternatives to Windows SearchDoes a Windows system search take you longer to find things than a manual search? You're not alone. Let us show you more efficient Windows search tools.Read More is a piece of Microsoft’s operating system that seems to be constantly changed and improved with each advancing version. Google Desktop was most popular in the XP days, but today all of the features it once provided are practically included in Windows right out of the box by using the search field in the Start menu.

iGoogle isn’t being put to rest until November 1, 2013, but it’s the Google service that I’ve put the most hours into. For many years, my browser’s starting page has been iGoogle. It gives me everything I want all on a single page, and I’ll really miss it. iGoogle obviously puts a huge emphasis on elements of Google like their search, RSS reader, and more. The alternatives available are actually much more extensive and flexible.

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George Oneday

May 23, 2013 at 11:29 am

Since iGoogle is closing, any valid replacement is welcome. But, in my opinion why settle with just a replacement? If you want a real UPGRADE that add value to your startpage, I warmly recommend to everyone, to try http://www.startific.com

It’s a brand new platform, and an upgrade from so many points of views.

Having tried most of the proposed alternatives, I too come out for igHome. What it lacks in gadgets, which are increasing rapidly, it makes up in terms of looks and feel. I find it a first-class replacement with almost the same look and feel of iGoogle. Still a little rough around the edges but a more than serviceable and simple start page. After all, it is really just a start page.

Is there any replacement for Google Calendar Sync? I used it to sync my Outlook calendar and my Google Calendar. I know there is a Google App but it requires my IT department and they refuse to install anything Google.

I have found that ighome.com is the one that works best for me, good rss feeds and I can also customise the black bar links at the top. Protopage is too much hard work, and has big banner ads. Netvibes looks worth a try, but I'll take some convincing.

I use Qoara quite a bit.There are many experts on a multitude of subjects at that site.My only beef is that if its a well liked question you can sometimes get 50-60 emails in your box with answers.Actually its not a beef.It just shows how well the site performs.I'm very happy with the answers that I receive.